At the Center for Infectious Disease Research (formerly Seattle BioMed), their mission is to make transformative scientific advancements that lead to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. They focus their science on the three areas of infectious disease research that will have the most impact on global health: vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics.

They concentrate their efforts on the people that need it most – those in developing nations throughout the world.

They advance the science to develop vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics for the infectious diseases that claim the lives of 14 million people every year. Progress for those most affected has moved at a slow and inhumane pace. In 1815, the average life expectancy was 47 years in the United States. In Africa, in 2015, 200 years later, the life expectancy is still only 47 years.

In the over 200 years since Edward Jenner’s discovery of a vaccine for smallpox, the science behind vaccine development has remained largely unchanged. As they look toward their fifth decade, they hope to answer 21st century problems with 21st century science.

Their science is for people, regardless of outside funding priorities. By investing in global health, they are investing in so much more. They are investing in the global economy, increased education rates, the waning of national and international conflict, and the opportunity for equality. They value the potential of people, and that is why they produce great science.